‘We’re rewriting the rules of the industry’: Vinfast CEO Toti Zara on its EVS and unique battery plan
According to the Vietnamese automotive manufacturer’s leader, Vinfast is not a car company alone but an ecosystem for EV technology
ELECTRIC vehicle (EV) adoption in the Philippines, though in its infancy stage, is groing through a historic surge— with volatile global fuel prices and the need for sustainable energy as the driving factors for the increase in demand.
The influx of imported EVS is reshaping the automotive landscape with brands like Vinfast taking the lead. With competitive pricing and advanced technology, the Vietnamese automotive manufacturer founded in 2017, is paving the way to make EVS even more accessible to the market.
At the recently concluded 10th Philippine International Motoring Show, held from June 4 to 7, at the World Trade Center, Businessmirror’s Motoread writer, Eric Montelibano, caught up with Toti Zara, the dynamic CEO of Vinfast Southeast Asia, to have a conversation about updates on the brand, its growing presence in the Philippines, and why EVS are the future of mobility and logistics.
BM Motoread: When did you enter and how has it been since you entered the Philippine market?
Vinfast entered the Philippines last year and ended 2025 with 30 dealers. We’re on track to build 50-60 dealers by the end of 2026. We are slightly exceeding targets in terms of dealer network and growing as planned in terms of vehicle sales. We are proud to share that we are the No. 1 battery electric vehicle brand in the Philippines, and we’re looking to maintain this position and having an organic growth.
BM Motoread: How’s your growth relative to Asia Pacific (neighboring countries)?
As a percentage of battery electric vehicles, we’re doing very well. The problem is that in the Philippines, the battery electric vehicle segment is still very low relative to other countries.
In 2025, battery electric vehicles was at only 1.5% of total industry. In comparison,
Indonesia was 11%, Thailand was 22%, Vietnam was more than 30%, Singapore was 50%, and China at 60%.
We saw the growth rates and since all these cars are coming from these countries, and growth towards battery electric is inevitable. We need to grow year on year and we’re confident it will continue to grow at a fast pace.
BM Motoread: You’ve introduced new strategies that are different from your competitors. How do you think it would play in your Philippine growth playbook?
We’re rewriting the rules in the industry. We are not a car company alone, we’re building an entire ecosystem.
We have GSM who wants to be the biggest mobility provider in the Philippines, We have Vgreen who wants to be the biggest EV charging infrastructure provider in the Philippines. We have Vinenervo who wants to be the biggest renewable energy provider in the Philippines. This ecosystem really allows us to provide ways of addressing all the myths surrounding EV ownership.
We’ve come out with the residual value guarantee program to address this myth— what’s the residual value of an EV. Don’t worry, we have a guarantee for that.
And the other worry was about batteries. Don’t worry. You can buy the car without the battery and just pay for the lease. I’m happy to share that today, 80 % of our sales are going to the battery subscription program. It works because you’re assured that your battery will be brand new forever.
Our sales teams always ask—what are you buying? 10 years from now, when you buy a 10-year old diesel car that you know the engine has wear and tear, or will you buy a Vinfast that you know will have a new battery for life. What has better residual value? This battery subscription is transferable and addresses that anxiety about battery life.
The program works and we’re happy with the take up. The difference is that this is enabled by our ecosystem. Vinenergo can use all the used EV batteries for their renewable energy, for their solar farms, for their micro grids, for their windfarm, so these batteries will be repurposed in some way for renewable energy.
BM Motoread: Are you ready for the competition to take on the same ideas that you started?
I’d like to invite our competitors. What we’re addressing are customer pain points, so let’s please do this. The only difference is Vinfast is not a car company alone. We’re building an ecosystem, and you need this ecosystem to build this program. And that’s the differentiator.
Let’s work together to educate the market about this technology. All our customers are becoming not only brand advocates but technology advocates. So, lets collaborate and speak about the benefits of battery electric, not only for the environment, but as a practical buy.
Why will you not buy an EV if you have 70% savings on fuel, 70% savings on maintenance at the same price? Actually battery subscription is lower, no worries on residual value, no worries about maintenance. So, why not go EV?
It has become a practical choice and we’re so excited about it, and we’re very glad to see that the Philippine marketing is now better appreciating the benefits of EV technology.